Iran Says Bahrain Using Citizenship Revocations to Silence Dissent

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei denounced the Bahraini government’s actions, describing them as “anti-human” measures targeting its own population.

He said stripping citizens of their nationality on what he called baseless pretexts represents a clear breach of international human rights standards.

According to Baqaei, the revocations were reportedly carried out against individuals accused of expressing sympathy with Iran and condemning actions by the United States and Israel.

He argued that such measures highlight what he described as a discriminatory approach by Bahrain’s leadership toward its citizens.

The spokesperson further accused Bahraini authorities of attempting to deflect public attention—both domestically and regionally—from their alleged support for U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran. He said such policies would not succeed in shifting public opinion.

Bahraini officials, however, have stated that the citizenship revocations were linked to individuals’ support for Iran during the conflict involving the United States and Israel.